


Stitches

by EmberAutumns



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Gen, Light-Hearted, Reader-Insert, Sewing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 15:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14115546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberAutumns/pseuds/EmberAutumns
Summary: Based on a prompt received on my Tumblr:Could you do a prompt where Vanderwood comes home from a mission with his coat (when I say that, I mean *his coat*, leopard print and all) torn, so he tosses it out, but MC fixes it up for him while he sleeps? Thank you. ^^





	Stitches

The moment Vanderwood entered your home he collapsed onto the couch exhausted, and you hurried into action. After the third or fourth long mission he’d been forced on you’d fallen into a routine to help both of you cope without overwhelming each other. You started reheating the leftovers from last night so he could eat before he slept, grabbed a fresh pair of night clothes so he could change, grabbed a blanket from the closet to wrap around him, and you would inevitably both end up pressed against each other on the couch eating in silence before he finally went to sleep. It wasn’t extravagant, but both of you would be able to remind yourselves that you were together and safe. The two of you would do much more verbal and physical reassuring once Vanderwood had a good eighteen hours of sleep and a shower.

This time was a little different however. Instead of folding up his clothes and stacking them on the coffee table as he always did, you realized the fabric was balled up in the trash can. Well, not all of it, you noticed a smaller stack than usual was set out on the table, lacking it’s usual leopard print coat. You didn’t mention it, knowing the silence was something Vanderwood desperately needed right now, but you made a mental note to pull it out later, and see if you could salvage it.

* * *

You waited patiently for about ten minutes after Vanderwood had headed back to your bedroom before you pulled it out, just to make sure you wouldn’t accidentally wake him up. The coat looked like it had been cut about midway up on the right side, and the lining inside had later snagged and had been forcibly torn open the rest of the way down. The lining had been shredded, but your biggest concern was the leather. Leather was difficult to repair at the best of times, and this was a rather large cut. The cut was neat at least, although you tried not to think about why.

Fixing the lining was difficult in its own right. Stitching together all those jagged edges without restricting his movement at all took hours of careful, small stitches and a rather sizeable headache. Fixing the leather ended up taking a few hours of googling and a fair amount of glue, but it worked. The tear was nearly invisible from the inside, a feat you were rather proud of, but from the outside there was a neat line in the leather you couldn’t quite get rid of. You laid the coat out carefully on the coffee table to set before heading back to sneak into bed with Vanderwood, hoping you’d wake up first so you could make breakfast and see if there was anything else you could do to fix up his coat before he saw it.

* * *

The next morning you woke up to an empty bed and the smell of eggs. You smiled softly even as you groaned in frustration, rolling over to hide your face in a pillow. It just wasn’t fair! Even after a long mission he couldn’t just let you pamper him for once, he had to be sweet and let you sleep in while  _ he _ made breakfast. He’d probably already found his coat and everything, ruining the whole big reveal!

Sure enough, by the time you’d dragged yourself out of bed and into the living room he already had his coat draped over his shoulders and flared out behind him like he always did. He still looked exhausted, but a soft smile graced his features as he cooked, showing off the softer side he refused to let anyone else see. You made sure to keep your footsteps loud as you came up behind him, waiting for him to hum quietly before you wrapped your arms around him, resting your forehead gently against his back. For a while no words were spoken, the two of you simply leaned into each others touch after going so long without it.

Vanderwood rarely let himself be soft, even around you. It was dangerous, and you understood that. Open gestures of affection were a risk he simply wasn’t willing to take with you as long as he was an agent. Even in your home, surrounded by a security system he’d “convinced” Seven to make for him he rarely allowed you to hug him or even hold his hand. By the end of the day he’d have shut himself off again, back to the aloof man you loved so much, but you loved this side too. You treasured the gentle touches and softly murmured thank yous he’d give you after a long mission like this, wishing he could afford to do it more often. It didn’t exactly surprise you that you received no more than a quiet thank you for repairing his coat, but at the same time, you’d been given much more then those few, treasured words.

Every time Vanderwood left for a new mission after that, he’d run his fingers along that one, clean line in the leather, and he’d smile softly. That was worth the world to you, even if neither of you would ever acknowledge it.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send in a prompt on [my Tumblr](https://weighted-writings.tumblr.com)


End file.
